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Public beaches in Sevan fall short of meeting tourists' demands - op

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  • Public beaches in Sevan fall short of meeting tourists' demands - op

    Public beaches in Sevan fall short of meeting tourists' demands - opinions

    18:18 * 30.07.14


    The presence of public beaches in Sevan does not help avoid
    privately-owned areas where the services' quality is rather low
    despite the considerable sums charged.

    With very many tourists spending their summer rest in Sevan, the
    public beaches are very few in number to meet everybody's demands.
    Most tourists are thus forced to go to the private beaches where the
    prices range from 1,000 to 20,000 Drams (approx $2-$50) depending on
    the kind of service preferred. But the private areas are not often
    very clean, with gulls seeking food in waste dumps often striking
    visitors' eyes.

    Speaking to Tert.am, environmentalist Silva Adamyan attributed the
    problem to poor management. She brought the example of Philippines
    where she said the private beaches stand out with cleanness, quality
    services, and affordable prices. "Go to the Philippines, not a rapidly
    developing country, to see how they maintain the beaches there. You
    will never see anything reminding you of waste, dirt and other things
    of the kind. If they charge money, they do it for a good service. And
    the sum is not so big as it is here," she noted.

    The environmentalist said she thinks that the society itself is to
    blame for choosing a dirty beach for money.

    The mayor of Sevan, Rudik Ghukasyan, agrees that the situation in
    their paid beaches is not very favorable for developing tourism, but
    says they are taking measures to improve the conditions until next
    year.

    "We need a special program to develop tourism and to improve the
    situation, but that program requires a financial component. Whenever
    we hear that a tourism development program has been drawn up, such
    statements are very often declarative in character. And they aren't
    enough for developing tourism. I have submitted proposals to the
    Government, suggesting a plan and a normal improvement program with a
    proper funding; otherwise the services' quality will turn from bad to
    worse by every year," he added.

    Asked whether they know the private owners or have any idea of whether
    they charge money legally, Ghukasyan replied, "We have to state with
    regret that the money which a rentee pays for a privatized area is for
    the whole year but he or she uses it for just 45 days. They use the
    period to exploit the area to be able to cover the expenses in a way."

    Ghukasyan said both the municipal authorities and the owners giving
    their areas for rent know who they hand over the beaches to. "There
    have been so many omissions over the past period that it isn't so easy
    to put everything in legal frameworks. I am hopeful we will have the
    project proposal approved by the end of this year to make it our
    guideline," he noted.

    As for the sums charged, the mayor claimed that they are absolutely
    legal. But he did not mention a specific amount required for renting a
    territory. "The prices vary from place to place, so I cannot say it
    now," he added.


    http://www.tert.am/en/news/2014/07/30/public-and-private-beach/

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